Sexual and Reproductive Health with Isaac Eranga

Pregnant women, fetuses exposed to antibacterial compounds face potential health risks As the Food and Drug Administration mulls over whether to rein in the use of common antibacterial compounds that are causing growing concern among environmental health experts, scientists are reporting that many pregnant women and their fetuses are being exposed to these substances. The compounds are used in more than 2,000 everyday products marketed as antimicrobial, including toothpastes, soaps, detergents, carpets, paints, school supplies and toys, the researchers say. "We looked at the exposure of pregnant women and their fetuses to triclosan and triclocarban, two of the most commonly used germ-killers in soaps and other everyday products," says Benny Pycke, Ph.D. "We found triclosan in all of the urine samples from the pregnant women that we screened. We also detected it in about half of the umbilical cord blood samples we took, which means it transfers to fetuse...

Notagain Campaign August 14 at 2:43pm THE private sector health community can accelerate Nigeria’s progress toward meeting some of the most challenging goals that have been set relating to child and maternal health, the United States Department for International Development (USAID) has said. Mission Director at USAID, Michael Harvey, said at a seminar on overcoming fragmentation in the private sector, in Abuja, that the health systems in Nigeria were facing various challenges. She also spoke on Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS/ Nigeria), she stressed that the mirage of challenges faced by the Nigerian private sector health community, she noted how access to quality service is impacted upon. She said: “But that is actually a very interesting segue into this morning’s conversation which is to explore the role of the private sector in providing basic healthcare services in Nigeria and to understand how the private secto...

Notagain Campaign Maternal Accountability: Katsina State government has spent N4.7 billion in the execution of projects and other related items under the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. The amount, spent in the last seven years, is the state’s 50 per cent contribution to MDG projects in the state. The other 50 per cent comes from the Federal Government. Speaking yesterday during the commissioning of a Maternal and Child Clinic in Birnin Kuka, Mashi council area, MDG Permanent Secretary, Is yaku Dikko, said out of the amount 1,115 boreholes were constructed across the council areas. Dikko said 80 maternal and child clinics were constructed while six semi-urban water schemes were established in Birnin Kuka, Gwajogwajo, Karofi, Yantumaki, Kakumi and Tudun Aya communities. He said 33,000 long lasting mosquito nets, 29 dispensaries, 17 generating sets, five ambulances, 21 maternal and child wards, and furniture were provided in various communities in the state...

Inequalities Faced by Young Women: Addressing SRHR Challenges Education: The lack of access to quality education has implications for young women and men not only in seeking gainful employment but also seeking SRH services. Education reduces the risk of pregnancy among adolescents and accurate information on sexuality also enables them to make relevant choices. Poverty: Young women are less likely to own property or control other assets and are often financially dependent on parents, spouses or in-laws. This can limit their ability to seek SRHR services and can also be a cause and consequence of sexual behaviors. Often times, young women are pushed to exchange sex for money, gifts, good grades, and other favors. Legal Barriers: Young women account for a significant proportion of unsafe abortion procedures. Women under the age of 25 account for almost 60% of unsafe abortion procedures, while women are the age of...

Deaths and Infections from HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Plummet Globally Originally posted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) New HIV infections dropped by almost one-third from the epidemic peak; TB deaths declined by 3.7% between 2000 and 2013; child deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa have dropped 31.5% in the past decade. Despite major progress, the quality of programs to treat HIV varies widely. PRESS RELEASE: SEATTLE—Today, fewer people are dying from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, according to a new, first-of-its-kind analysis of trend data from 188 countries. The pace of decline in deaths and infections has accelerated since 2000, when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were established to stop the spread of these diseases by 2015. HIV interventions – including antiretroviral therapy (ART), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and HIV prophylaxis – have been successful. HIV is increasingly a c...

Women Deliver Announces ‘Dr. Fred Sai Scholarship for Young African Women’ ACCRA, Ghana, June 30, 2014 – Women Deliver is proud to announce a new scholarship program that will help bring young African women to its triennial conferences, beginning with Women Deliver 2016. Every three years, the Dr. Fred Sai Scholarship for Young African Women – named in honor of Ghanaian sexual and reproductive health and rights advocate and Women Deliver Board Member Emeritus Dr. Fred Sai – will be given to five African women under the age of 30 who have shown extraordinary leadership on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Scholarship winners will be selected through a competitive online application process. Women Deliver will look for young women who are passionate about improving the health and well-being of girls and women; who can contribute meaningfully to conference sessions and discussions; and who will strive to incorporate lessons learned to work in their home ...

Pregnant bellies: Updating the tape measure technique A new way of interpreting information from a low-tech, age-old method used in pregnancy care is expected to more accurately identify potential health issues for mothers and babies.   Dr Kristen Gibbons from The University of Queensland's School of Population Health and Mater Research has developed a statistical chart that generates more detail from the traditional method of monitoring baby growth by measuring the mother's belly. "We have developed a customised foetal growth chart that complements the symphyseal fundal height measurement – that is, the measurement of a pregnant woman's uterus," Dr Gibbons said. Doctors and health professionals have used the tape measure technique for more than a century to look for indicators on fetal growth , multiple gestation, amniotic fluid disorders and birth date prediction. "Our customised chart is generated using characte...

KEY FACTS ON TB - HIV CORRELATION:    •TB is the leading killer of people with HIV. About one in five AIDS-related deaths in 2012 were attributed to TB. •At least one third of the 35.3 million people living with HIV worldwide are infected with latent TB. •According to the World Health Organization, people living with HIV are 30 times more likely to develop tuberculosis. •Despite the fact that TB is curable and HIV is treatable, out of the 1.3 million TB deaths in 2012, 320,000 died of HIV-associated TB. Half of these deaths were in women. •An estimated 1.1 million (13%) of the 8.6 million people who developed TB in 2012 were HIV-positive—75% of them in the Africa Region. Early diagnosis, timely initiation of treatment for both diseases and careful monitoring are essential to treat TB in people living with HIV and identify HIV infection in people with TB. •The number of people living with HIV who were screened for TB increased to 4.1 million in 2012, (up from 3.5 mi...

TB: The Leading Cause of Death for People With HIV     Imagine TB as kindling Two billion people — one-third of humanity — carry a latent TB infection. The vast majority of those infected live their whole lives without becoming sick with TB or spreading the infection. The body’s immune defenses seal the invading TB germs within a tiny capsule at the infection site — preventing the germs from multiplying. Now picture HIV as a match HIV destroys the immune system. When this happens, the capsule containing the TB germs weakens and breaks. The germs spill out and multiply. The person becomes sick with tuberculosis, transmitting the germs to others through a telltale cough. -Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 24 July, 2012: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78906.html

Run Away From Tobacco -- Experts Caution Diabetes Patients   Eranga Isaac, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria As the world marked the World No Tobacco Day 2014, experts cautioned sufferers of diabetes to desist from the use of tobacco, saying it will lead to more complications. Speaking to CNS, Dr. (Mrs.) Omoye Amusa a Consultant at the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria informed that diabetes is a group of diseases in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal. She added that most of the food a person eats is turned into glucose (a kind of sugar) for the body’s cells to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin that helps glucose get into the body’s cells. “When you have diabetes, your body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin very well. Less glucose gets into the cells and instead builds up in the blood. Tobacco use can increase blood sugar levels and lead to insulin resistance. An...